*
The surf undulates before me, as it repeats its endless climb on the soft, white sand. The golden sun above me brings a gentle warmth to the air, and the refreshing breeze removes all worries from my mind. I am at peace. One with the world and one with myself. I begin to walk along the endless sandy coastline, not knowing nor caring about my destination. I marvel at the paradise around me, knowing in my heart that it is where I belong. In the distance, I can just barely make out a low range of mountains, with only the tallest capped with a snowy down. They seem so far off, as if they were in another world entirely.
I CAN HEAR BARSCH SCREAMING.
The waves recede, leaving behind a million shining seashells. I briefly ponder the strange voice in my head, but dismiss it as the last remnants of a nearly forgotten dream.
THERE’S BLOOD ON HIS FACE, AND HE’S PULLING ME UP.
I stop and stare at the setting sun, as if it had called out to me.
Something brushes against my feet -THE SOLAR STAFF IS OUT AND HUMMING, AS MALOCH TRIES DESPERATELY TO WAKE ALZA- and I bend down to pick it up.
It is an emerald -PAIN FILLS MY MIND- bottle, with a letter half poking out. I unravel the letter, the words within flashing before my eyes.
THERE ARE MORE OF THEM, IN THE DISTANCE. I CAN HEAR THEM BAYING FOR BLOOD. ANOTHER DRAWS CLOSER, MY BLOOD ON ITS TEETH.
I read the words again, aloud this time. “Kingston, wake up. Wake up! We need your help. Please, you have to wake up!”
THE BEASTS LEAP AS ONE AND MY STAFF SWINGS THROUGH THE AIR, CATCHING THREE IN MID-FLIGHT. THE REMAINING THREE CIRCLE AROUND ME, LOOKING FOR ANY WEAKNESS IN MY DEFENSES. I HEAR BARSCH FIGHTING BESIDE ME, HIS SCREAMS OF PAIN BLOCKING OUT EVERY OTHER SOUND.
The letter is gone, along with the peaceful beach. I am in a bloodbath, in the centre of a large, faded-white courtyard. I can hear sounds of battle around me, and my body writhes in agony.
THE BEASTS LEAP AS ONE- Nothing makes sense, I only long for -MY BLOOD ON ITS TEETH- the calm, unchanging paradise where -HIS SCREAMS OF PAIN- life is simple, and death is easy...
With a scream, Kingston awoke. His hair was slicked with sweat, and his eyes wheeled wildly in their sockets. Slowly, he sat up, and immediately regretted doing so, as a wave of nausea overcame him. After emptying the contents of his stomach, he once more tried to get up, with marginally more success on the second attempt. The first thing that struck him was the smell: burning oil and thick smoke. He appeared to have been laid beneath the roots of a large, leafy tree. For a moment, he wondered if he was still dreaming, but then Barsch appeared beside him, covered in soot and bruises.
“I’m so sorry Kingston... It just... went out of control... and then it started smoking, so we tried to stop and... and it... flipped...”
“What are you talking abo-
Kingston stopped in mid speech, staring in horror at an object a few feet away. It was a steering wheel, all by itself, the rubber half-melted by an incredible heat. Gingerly, he picked it up, trying to make sense of it all. He looked at Barsch with questioning eyes, but the boy refused to meet his gaze. Instead, he pointed to another object, larger than the first, lying some way off.
Limping slightly, he made his way towards it, dread already filling his mind. Twenty paces away from the thing, he stopped, unable to go further. The Voxner, or rather, what was left of the Voxner, lay on its side, flames belching out from every hole. More than half of the vehicle was missing, though Kingston could see a long trail of debris away from the crash, interwoven with deep black skid-marks. The cab had been completely demolished, and the hold had been sheared horizontally in half. When Kingston looked again, he saw Maloch emerge from the other side of the wreckage. He too was covered in soot, and had several new scratches in his chest plate. After searching again, Kingston spotted Alza, sitting under the massive tree, but relatively unhurt. Barsch had caught up with him, guilt engraved on his young face, and with a weariness in the eyes that seemed to age him immensely.
“What happened?”
“Well... we were driving along, and then all of a sudden the autopilot failed, and the Voxner started skidding... I tried to regain control, but nothing worked. Eventually, I told Maloch to take you and jump out, and then Alza and I did the same. When I came to, it was like this... so we carried you to tree and-
“And then Barsch asked me to investigate the wreck and determine the reason for the loss of control. I have since determined that it suffered a critical power failure. Most likely the fuel cell itself blew. It is a miracle that it lasted this long, to tell you the truth.”
“I’m so sorry Kingston, I know how much it meant to you... and then you wouldn’t wake up, so I thought that maybe I shouldn’t have asked Maloch to jump out with you in your condition... sorry.”
Barsch looked to be on the point of tears, so Kingston took him by the shoulders and gently embraced him, whilst simultaneously saying, in a kindly voice, “It’s not your fault m’boy... as long as no one was hurt. I was foolish for making us use the damned thing. I knew the risks and I continued on just so that I could fulfil some childish fantasy. Can you ever forgive me?”
Barsch couldn’t have agreed faster, and together, they stared as the last Voxner in existence slowly burned away. After a while, they made their way back to the tree, where Maloch and Alza were already preparing a meal of bread and protein rations. It was a meagre meal, but to the starving travellers, it was heavenly. After finishing and clearing up, they sat beneath the leafy branches, enjoying their brief reprieve.
Awakening Page 116